Aparna Balamurali lived it up as the feisty, strong and empathetic Sundari Bommi opposite Suriya in Sudha Kongara’s Soorarai Pottru (SP). Winning the National award for the best actress for Bommi is the crowning glory for the natural actor.
Aparna says, ”It felt really great to get the national award for a film I had worked hard for. The awards the film won in different categories shows the kind of work, we, as a team, had put into the film.”
The toughest part of playing Bommi, says the architect-turned-actor, was to walk a tightrope to ensure that Bommi was neither too pushy nor preachy. Agreeing that she took time to understand the character and her story, Aparna recalls how the characterisation had to be subtle but strong. “The Madurai dialect was extremely difficult to learn and speak like a native. Also, Bommi was born and brought up in a village in Madurai, yet she dreams of running her own business, rejects a proposal and moves on with her life even when people were talking about her. For me, that was something really interesting about the character,” she explains.
